New event: MochAcoustic

Lovers of acoustic music in Liverpool are truly spoilt for choice!

Just when we thought we couldn't squeeze any more events into the Liverpool Acoustic diary along comes yet another brand new night. And it's weekly too!

MochAcoustic launches on Tuesday 2nd September at the Mocha Lounge (hence the name, natch!) on Sir Thomas Street.

Hosted by Guy Taunton (the man behind last June's Oxjam night) and supported by Rachael Dunn, MochAcoustic looks set to become another mainstay of the Liverpool Acoustic scene.

Each week the music kicks off at 8pm with five or six booked musicians, followed by open mic between 11pm and 12am. And it's all free!

Full details can be found at myspace.com/mochacoustic

The line-up for the opening night on 2nd September is Rob Clarke, James Munro, Dooley and Elliot, Natalie McCool and Letters In Red.

Already booked for 9th September are Guy Taunton, Rachael Dunn, Ste Hedley, Hoonose, and Evil Piccolo.

Staying with the Mocha Lounge, don't forget that the first Friday of the month Music@Mocha event is taking place on 5th September.

Running from 8pm to midnight you can enjoy music from Stan (the Harper) Ambrose, Terese Bernabe, Richard Batty, The Trestles, Stuart Todd, plus resident DJ Simon Mack (Public Notice) playing a mix of Latin, Funk, Swing & Beats.

This event is preceded between 6pm and 8pm by Amanda's Couch, a social event for writers, poets and other creatives, with guest speaker Liverpool Acoustic's own Graham Holland.

Full details from myspace.com/amandadeangeles

Second Satori & Song this Thursday

OK, I know last month we posted a news item about the brand new Satori & Song night (hosted by the lovely Hannah Platt)...

And I know that was followed up by a review of the night (which takes place on the last Thursday each month)...

But, heck, it's such a good event that here at Liverpool Acoustic we thought it deserved another plug. So here it is.

Satori & Song is an acoustic night that takes place on the last Thursday of every month at 07 Cafe Bar, Mount Pleasant. It runs from 7.30pm to 11pm.

Each month there will be a selection of hand-picked acoustic artists of the very best quality to entertain you. Why not come along and check it out?

The line-up for Thursday 28th August is:-
Lee Broderick myspace.com/leebroderickofficial
Jeff Jepson www.jeffjepson.co.uk
Letters In Red myspace.com/lettersinreduk
Hannah Platt MySpace.com/hannahplattonline

This is not open mic, so anybody who wants to play the next night please get in touch! Hope to see you there! Hannah x

Hannah (facebook) (MySpace) 07cafebar.com
Cafe 07 Bar, 103 Mount Pleasant, Liverpool, L3 5TB

Invitation to WomenFolk

The good folk of Manchester's new WomenFolk group are extending the long arm of friendship along the M62 and inviting Liverpool's music-making women folk to join them for their inaugural meeting.

What is WomenFolk?

It's a supportive community for women making acoustic and roots-based music


What do they do?

• Networking - song-swapping - workshops - showcases - promotion

• Provide a meeting place for WomenFolk seeking companionship and support.

• Foster discussion of all aspects of music making, marketing, promotion, and sales.

• Provide songwriting critiques/workshops led by WomenFolk members.

• Strategically promote events and celebrate the music of WomenFolk members and friends.


So tell me about the first meeting!

Investment: £3 door charge

Bring: yourself (essential), goals, hopes, wishes, ideas, instruments, flyers for your upcoming events, and something to write with.

When:
Tuesday, September 2nd 2008
7-10 pm

Where:
Nexus Art Cafe
Dale Street
Northern Quarter
Manchester M1 1JW
www.nexusartcafe.com

Oldham Street out of Piccadilly Gardens; after 2 blocks, turn right at the Vinyl Exchange. Nexus is on the right in the basement of the Methodist Church. Google map

More info

This is an initiative of performing songwriters Lorelei Loveridge (Orderly Bazaar Records & Publishing) and Zoe Mulford (SquashFlower).

www.loreleiloveridge.com

www.orderlybazaar.com

www.zoemulford.com

"See you there!"

Lorelei & Zoe

WomenFolk "growing like a garden..."
On FaceBook...

Catacoustic all-dayer this Sunday

According to today's radio report, this coming weekend will see Liverpool John Lennon Airport's busiest of the year as thousands of people flee Liverpool, Merseyside and the Northwest for sunnier climes and warmer weather.


Those people left behind have the Mathew Street Festival to look forward to. And if you're not into cover bands, Merseybeat heroes, or Beatles tributes the Mathew Street Fringe Festival has some of the best local indie bands strutting their bank holiday stuff at venues across the city.


There will be lots of acoustic artists out and about, but the undisputed highlight of the weekend is the Catacoustic All-Dayer on Sunday 24th August.

This event sees a full 12 hours of acoustic music from 12pm to 12 midnight.

It's taking place at The Victoria in Woolton Village, and will feature many of the Catacoustic regulars alongside other acoustic musicians from across the region.

This event is not to be missed and, as if you needed any extra incentive, it's 100% free!

Canvas night this Thursday

What is there to do on a Thursday night? Watch Eastenders and Traffic Cops on the telly, or head on into town for something more appealing? Well if you chose the latter and are wondering where to go then we've got the answer for you.

Canvas night takes place at 3345 Parr Street on the third Thursday of every month and features live music, short films, visual showcases and djs. The live music is normally acoustic inspired but often crosses musical boundaries into other genres.


Canvas takes place this month on Thursday 21st August - Doors 8 til late, and entry is 100% free! Playing live will be The Hang Project, A Cup of Tea, and Amos. How's that for a great Thursday night out?

Details of the event can be fount at myspace.com/canvasnight and the confirmed dates will appear in the Liverpool Acoustic diary.

Canvas is one of the 3345 Thursday events that take place at the same venue.
For more information visit myspace.com/3345thursday

New event: Culture Cafe Liverpool

Here at Liverpool Acoustic there's nothing we like more than to announce a brand new acoustic event.



So let's hear it for [cue melodramatic drum roll....]



The Culture Cafe Liverpool!


When?

Sunday, 17 August, 2pm to 5pm

Where?
Starbucks Coffee Company, Cotton Exchange, Old Hall Street, Liverpool, L3 9LQ (map)

What?
A monthly acoustic music event run by Sarah. She's hoping that it will become weekly at some point in the future.

The opening of the Culture Cafe Liverpool sees an array of local acoustic talent playing just for you. There's also some open mic too (see note below).

Ali Ingle myspace.com/aliingle
John Devine myspace.com/johndevine83
Tony Kehoe myspace.com/kehoesongs
Laura Oakes myspace.com/lauraoakesmusic

If anyone would like to be considered as a future booked act then all they have to do is go along to the event, do 2 or 3 songs on the open mic, and Sarah will book you for a future session. The equipment is pretty basic, and they are trying not to need a PA or speakers since it's a small, cosy venue. However their is a microphone and acoustic amp if solo artists prefer to use them.

More information from Sarah -
www.myspace.com/culturecafeliverpool

Above the beaten track

Mellowtone presents Above The Beaten Track: an audio and visual extravaganza at the View Two Gallery, Mathew Street.

It takes place over the weekend of 16th and 17th August, starting at 2pm each day and running 'till late.

The weekend sees the gallery packed full of art, audiovisual displays, music, and djs.

The cost is £5 for a weekend pass; £4 day pass (£3 conc)

You can find out more information, or contact the Mellowtone guys, via their MySpace profile at myspace.com/mellowtonenight

Above The Beaten Track also includes culturepool's second birthday on Saturday from 4pm to 7pm. Check out the culturepool website for information about the birthday bash, and details of discounted entry. www.culturepool.org.uk

Heck, here at Liverpool Acoustic we're so good to you that we've even included the information posters below. [If you're getting this via email then you won't be able to see the pretty pictures - sorry!]

Review: Satori & Song opening night

Host - Hannah Platt

‘Satori And Song’ is a new, monthly acoustic event happening at the chilled out Café 07 bar on Liverpool’s Mount Pleasant and a very classy affair this, its opening night, proved to be.

Local guitarist Phil Tweedle had the unenviable task of drawing the attention of early punters toward the performing area but did so admirably with a trio of acoustic guitar instrumentals – a nice touch to warm us up for what was yet to come.

John Barry from duo 21st Fret

Next up were 21^st Fret, two young guys playing mainly covers but with a fairly distinctive style – mainly focused on the incredibly powerful voice of the one doing the singing. This one element of their performance keeps your attention throughout most of their set but I have to admit that by the time they delivered their somewhat overwrought version of Pink Floyd’s Another Brick In The Wall my attention had began to drift off.

Hannah Platt

However the real class on offer only began to show itself with the arrival on stage of the evening’s organiser and hostess Hannah Platt who played a short but effortless set of beautifully constructed songs delivered with cool assurance. Quite rightly she enjoyed her time in the limelight but was also generous and genuine in urging the audience to enjoy the remaining two acts.

Virginia Haze

Of these, first up was Virginia Haze with her bluesy, acoustic folk music. A rich voice and great songcraft made her set very enjoyable and had us wondering if the night could possibly get any better? But when you have someone of the calibre of Ian Bailey headlining the night you are surely onto a winner. Lest you don’t know, Ian hails from Preston and is undoubtedly one of the best (and most under-rated) singer-songwriters operating in the north-west, maybe even the country today. He provided us with a set of beautiful songs delivered with unerring professionalism, style and warmth, and the odd surprise – a very powerful version of Radiohead’s Karma Police.

Ian Bailey & Kat Daggers

Ably assisted by Kat Daggers on backing vocals on a couple of songs, Ian brought the first ‘Satori And Song’ to a very satisfying end.

On this first offering it looks like a night that could (and should) run and run!!

Review 2008 Christopher Stevens
Photos © 2008 John Middleham

[The next Satori & Song takes place on Thursday 28th August 2008. See the entry in the diary for more details.]

The Acoustic Beat Goes On - votes needed

You may or may not be aware of The Beat Goes On - an exciting new exhibition currently being shown at the World Museum Liverpool.

As part of the exhibition there's a juke box, and the tracks to be included are being chosen on a monthly basis by a poll on The Beat Goes On's MySpace profile.

This month (August 2008) there are three acoustic songs all battling against seven other songs for a place on the museum's juke box.

• Rob Gough - God In A Devil's Eye
• Tony Kehoe - A Week On Sunday
• GK & The Renegades - It's Down To You (acoustic version)

It just happens that all three of these artists, and two of the songs (the last two) have been played in the past on Graham Holland's It's A Frog's Life Acoustic Podcast itsafrogslife.net/podcast

And Tony Kehoe was the featured artist in the Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight for July 2008

To vote for one of the above (it would be nice to get some acoustic tunes featured in the exhibition) head on over to myspace.com/thebeatgoesonliverpool and look for the poll.

You can also listen to all of the tracks before you make your choice. Anyway, here's the rest of the blurb for the exhibition. Why not check it out - it's fab!

From The Beatles to The Zutons, Liverpool is a city buzzing with musical talent. This summer, the city that The Guinness Book of Records has named as World Capital City of Pop is host to an exciting exhibition dedicated to 60 years of Liverpool music. The Beat Goes On opened at World Museum Liverpool on 12 July 2008 and runs until 1 November 2009.

A product of Liverpool's edginess, energy and creativity the exhibition explores the city's musical identity, its success and its continuing evolution. The exhibition reveals a rich musical heritage beginning with the early musical influences seeping into the city from across the Atlantic during the 1940s and 1950s, to the phenomenal success of Merseybeat and the continuing popularity of Merseyside musicians today.

Bursting with audio points, juke boxes and fascinating films, The Beat Goes On captures the vibrancy and creativity of Liverpool music.

Highlights include:

• a hoard of fascinating objects and memorabilia from the Fab Four, including the first ever public display of the Woolton church stage where John and Paul first met in 1957 and one of the most vital pop collaborations was born. Other gems include the jacket worn by John Lennon during the band's 1964 tour and the vibrant All You Need is Love bedcover from John and Yoko's Bed-in-for-Peace demonstration in Montreal in 1969. The exhibition also provides an opportunity to look at the wealth of other bands that flourished in Liverpool during the swinging-sixties featuring archive video footage of other Merseybeat bands.
• an evocative look at Liverpool's influential club Eric's, which opened in 1976. Displays include a Vivienne Westwood suit designed for the cult band Deaf School and a range of wonderful ephemera from band t-shirts, photographs, posters and badges. One display also looks at the plethora of bands and artists which came to prominence at the time such as Echo and the Bunnymen, Ian Brodie, OMD, Pete Burns and The Teardrop Explodes.
• an immersive space looks at the buoyant dance scene in Liverpool from Quadrant Park, a legendary Liverpool night club in the early 1990s, through to the super-club Cream. Stunning visuals combine with fond memories by DJs and clubbers of hedonistic nights out in Liverpool.
• an interactive exploration of the role of technology within modern music production. Working in collaboration with SAE (School of Audio Engineering) the exhibition features a mini-recording studio, attached to a karaoke-style room where visitors can sing along to classic Liverpool tunes and temporarily become the fifth Beatle or fourth Atomic Kitten! There is also a section for visitors to mix their own version of the OMD track Electricity and a version of Apple Mac's computer programme Garage Band for visitors to experience producing their own track.
• objects from major Liverpool artists including Billy Fury's guitar and a dress made for Lita Roza, the first British female artist to ever have a UK number one hit in 1953 with How Much is that Doggie in the Window? (this was also the first Liverpool artist's UK number one).
• contemporary material from the most fashionable current club nights in Liverpool such as Chibuku and popular bands like The Coral and The Zutons, who are populating the charts today and carrying on Liverpool's dominance in the area of popular music. The exhibition delves into the secret of successful music careers by exploring how musicians develop their skills, channel their inspiration and promote a strong identity.

The Beat Goes On is the first exhibition of its kind and draws on a wealth of material from record companies, institutions and private collectors as well as fascinating objects from National Museum Liverpool's own collection. The exhibition is supported by an online resource produced in collaboration with the Institute of Popular Music at the University of Liverpool. The exhibition also provides a small taste of the kind of displays that visitors will enjoy at Museum of Liverpool when it opens to the public in 2010/11.

In partnership with the University of Liverpool through the Institute of Popular Music. Supported by the Liverpool Culture Company as part of the European Capital of Culture programme and SAE Institute.

Black Swan Folk Festival

If your image of a folk festival is morris dancers, old hippies, tie-dye t-shirts, bearded men, and singers with one finger stuck in their ear then you obviously haven't experienced the Black Swan Folk Festival before!

The Black Swan Folk Festival is an intimate gathering of kindred spirits in the beautiful village of Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria. An afternoon of live acoustic sounds and an evening of sun-kissed soul and reggae awaits the wandering friends of Liverpool music collectives Mellowtone and Soulful Vibes.

For more information, visit the website at www.soulfulvibes.co.uk/blackswan.htm
There's even a psychedelic space shuttle arranged to get people up there (and back, hopefully!)

Liverpool Acoustic Newsletter - August 2008

And there's us at Liverpool Acoustic thinking that August was going to be a quiet month... Not likely! There's all of the regular weekly and monthly events, plus more (yes, more!!!) new events for you to enjoy. Added to that all of the Liverpool Fringe events and you've got an Acoustic August fit for a European Capital of Culture, which is fortunate because we are!



SPOTLIGHT
In the Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight this month is Kaya. Well known throughout Liverpool as a talented performer Kaya also hosts her own successful weekly acoustic open mic night called Metroacoustic, and the monthly Acoustica. Head on over to the Spotlight page to hear all about her and listen to four of her best songs on the audio show.


DIARY
The Liverpool Acoustic Diary is getting rather chocka! Who ever knew that there was so much happening on the local acoustic scene?

However, we’re still finding out about some great gigs after they’ve happened so if you're a musician or event promoter and you'd like to add your local acoustic gigs to the diary then drop us an email or use the contact page on the main website.

Some of the highlights for August include:-

Friday 1st – American musician Calvin Johnson (Beat Happening, Dub Narcotic Sound System) is supported by Dirtblonde and The 10p Mixes in a gig at St Bride’s Church.

Friday 1st – Music @ Mocha at the Mocha Lounge has a programme of guests playing acoustic music from 8pm to 12pm. Hosted by local poet and author Amanda DeAngeles, the night is preceded by Amanda’s Couch, and informal session from 6pm to 8pm for poets, authors and assorted creative bods.

Saturday 2nd – The Jaccs are playing a gig at the Carling Academy 2. Although they aren’t really acoustic they’re being supported by Hannah Platt who is!

Thursday 7th – Nouveau Django perform in the delightful setting of The Neighbourhood on Woolton Road

Saturday 9th - Family Folk-up presents... in association with Up At The Redbricks @ St Brides Church, featuring Howie Payne, Sean Butler, The Lost Brothers, and The Random Family

Sunday 10th – The second monthly Blues on the Rock event at Fort Perch Rock, hosted by Blue C and featuring Forty 4, a crack new blues band. The last event got some good coverage in the local press and those who went had a great time.

Sunday 10th – If you fancy going a bit further afield for your Liverpool-tinged acoustic music then why not head out to the Black Swan Folk Festival in Kirkby Stephen. Full details of who’s playing, how much it costs, and where you can throw up your tent can be found at www.soulfulvibes.co.uk/blackswan.htm

Sunday 24th – This August Bank Holiday sees the return of the Catacoustic All-Dayer, with 12 hours of non-stop acoustic music at The Victoria in Woolton Village. See the diary entry for more details.

Bank Holiday Weekend sees the Mathew Street Festival back after the controversies of last year’s cancelled outdoor stages. There should be lots of acoustic acts taking part so check out their website and the Liverpool Acoustic diary for more details closer to the time.

Thursday 28th sees the second event of a new monthly acoustic night hosted by Hannah Platt. It’s called Satori & Song, and takes place on the last Thursday of every month at the 07 Café Bar on Mount Pleasant.


You can find out more information about any of the above by clicking on the name of the event in the Liverpool Acoustic Diary.


NEWS AND REVIEWS
Thank you to Amanda DeAngeles for submitting her review of the Thomas-Joseph & Murphy album launch gig in July. If you fancy yourself as a budding music journo then why not write something for the News and Reviews page.

Graham (on behalf of the Liverpool Acoustic team)